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Are You Listening???

by Charlie ~

Rated: GC · Book · Emotional · #2181458

A journey of self-improvement - or not.

Sup? I'm Char.
You may know me from timeless classics such as

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#2030442 by Not Available.

and

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I blog for things like

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FORUM

30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS

(13+)
WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus
#1786069 by FivetricksterTreats

FORUM

JAFBG

(XGC)
Because real life isn't always roses and sunshine...
#2094931 by Elisa, Stik-or-Treat

[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]
Believin' all the lies that they're tellin' ya
Buyin' all the products that they're sellin' ya
They say jump and ya say "how high?"
Ya braindead, ya got a fuckin' bullet in ya head

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

👀intu the Darkness

Jul 22, 2023 at 8:05am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Hey Char, It's been a while since I've touched base with you. I'm so sorry for your loss. The last thing people should say is everyone loses their grandparents eventually, or it will get better with time. It's the last thing you want to hear when you're hurting. Death sucks, long-lasting illness sucks! Having to decide to let the person go to keep them from suffering REALLY SUCKS! I think the only ones who can understand truly just how much are those who have had to make that decision. My heart breaks for you.

I'm not religious, but I do have a strong faith in God. I call myself spiritual because I don't agree with all the rules and regulations of religion. I do know I will see my family and friends again, and this is a great comfort. I can only imagine how much more painful the death of loved ones is without this belief. But you're right, it can't be faked. But it is a beautiful thing.

Having mental health issues during times like this makes it even harder to go through. I know what you mean about seeing things that aren't there. I'd walk into a room, and say, "Where's Star?" and she would be sitting right in front of me. When I looked, I swear I saw an empty chair. The mind is crazy. It gives new meaning to a mind of its own

Some time has passed since you wrote this. I don't know when you'll see this but know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, and I'm sending good energy your way. I hope you're doing better. I look forward to hearing from you.

Aiva Raine

Mar 28, 2023 at 9:40pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'm sorry for your loss. I know they are shitty sounding words that don't even attempt to fill or fix, but they're meant in sincerity.

Having lost several people the best advice I was ever given was when life gets too hard- take it at your own pace. If a day is too much- cope with an hour at a time. If that's too much, take it ten minutes at a time. If that's too much- then you deal with one minute at a time. Work through life and grief at your pace. And don't ever feel guilty because you feel sad. And if you can- find one positive in each chunk of time- even if it's something as little as the beauty of sunlight on a leaf or the softness of your shirt. And ask for help if you need it.

Elle

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:29pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Aw, Charlie, I'm so sorry. It's a shit thing to go through whether it's sudden or not. And just because everyone goes through it, doesn't make it easier. It also doesn't take into account that you were closer to them than your parents. Nobody says 'Oh, everyone loses their parents eventually' do they? Surely not. And that's what's happened here really. I'm actually glad you've got an appointment with a professional tomorrow, because they might be able to help you with getting through that initial devastation.

When my dad lost his mother, he really struggled with his own lack of religion. As you say, there is some comfort in believing they've gone to a better place, been reunited with loved ones, that you'll see them again, and so on. For most of my life, Dad would say 'Religion is a crutch for the weak', but I definitely saw him struggle with the finality of it when he lost his mother, the person he was probably closest to.

My thoughts are with you.

1 Like

~Minja~

Mar 7, 2023 at 3:21pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Crazy stuff, grief. If you want to talk about it, message me always.

1 Like

QPdoll

Mar 7, 2023 at 6:21am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I understand what you mean about wanting to tell your grandmother something. I did the same thing after my grandmother passed. I was at home and the first thing I thought was to call grandma. I picked up the phone and realized that she wouldn't answer. It's so tough losing your grandparents, especially as close as you were. I don't have any magic words, but take care of yourself. It's what they would want.

1 Like

Waltz in the Lonesome October

Mar 6, 2023 at 10:31pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Take care of yourself during this difficult time.

1 Like

Anni Pumpkin

Mar 6, 2023 at 9:06pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I know it doesn't help any, but I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine much worse than losing a parent or parental figure. They represent stability and safety, you grew up with them, and you've relied on them for most, if not all, of your life. You're right, the initial devastation will fade and things won't feel so fresh. But, as you know, grief never really goes away. It just becomes a permanent part of you.

It's horrible that you only got a couple days worth of bereavement! That's not even long enough for the shock to wear off enough to START grieving. I hope you have the support of someone else in your life to help you through this dark time. Take it easy on yourself in the mean time, that's all you really can do. Taking care of your physical self, eating and sleeping, is critical. Sleep deprivation and hunger will make things feel a million times worse than they actually are (which, for the record, is already pretty bad).

1 Like

Cinn

Feb 20, 2023 at 9:34pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I actually pretty much love this one. Nice, man...

Cinn

Feb 19, 2023 at 11:07am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I'd say that more freedom for participants would attract more people. One obvious example that I've never understood is fiction vs poetry. If it's an activity, not a contest, why not allow people to explore whatever the theme of your activity is with whatever type of writing that want to do?

I've actually written for countless contests/activities over the years but never entered... because they inspired me, but I don't fit within the guidelines. Max rating too low, items required (book entries only over here), no poetry accepted, etc.

I know well why people restrict writers' freedom, but they're also restricting the number of participants they'll get. I still just take the inspiration where I can get it.

Elisa, Stik-or-Treat

Feb 19, 2023 at 10:26am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I've had decent participation with Journalistic Intentions (even though I know my prompts are sometimes considered "difficult"). I do think that there's been a bit of a shift in regards to contests and activities, where people have been more open to admitting they find some setups too restricting or that they feel intimidated by contests. I would love to be in discussions to address those issues, but so far I haven't been invited.

July 23, 2019 at 12:03am

#963030

Tears for childhood fears

Artist: Tears for Fears
Song: Everybody Wants To Rule The World
[Embed For Use By Upgraded+]

Prompt via "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" : Write about a fear you experienced as a child that you have since overcome.

Don't worry, I won't go too deep on this one. It's too early to ruin my day.

Let's keep it somewhat lighthearted. I'll throw out some of my childhood fears I've happily overcome, along with a few childhood fears I'm stuck with still.

Childhood fears I've overcome:

The dark.
Like a lot of kids, I was petrified of the dark. I slept full-on with the lights on. Not a nightlight, not a bedside lamp, but the full overhead ceiling light.

My parents tried to get me to learn to trust a smaller light source, but they casted shadows across my room that scared me even more than the dark.

Storms.
I can't even imagine how or why, but I was terrified of thunderstorms as a child. Any notion of acclimate weather sent me into a panic. I hated lightning and thunder. When it would storm, I would count the seconds between the lightning and thunder willing it to end quickly. It's ironic because I absolutely love storms now. It's my favorite thing to lie in bed at night (in the dark!) and watch a storm roll in. There's just something so relaxing about it. I did a total 180 on the matter.

Monsters/aliens/ghosts.
When I was a kid, I thought these things would be a much bigger problem in life.

I watched too much scary stuff and read too many scary books at a young age, so I was convinced that it was a matter of when I would be attacked by a monster/abducted by aliens/haunted by a ghost and not a matter of if those things would happen. Luckily, I've completely overcome those fears so no one has to check under my bed anymore. *monster*

Childhood fears I still have:

Diseases.
Having obsessive compulsive disorder, this is the biggie. I wasn't diagnosed as a child, but looking back, it's obvious that I've suffered from it since a young age. During my first health class when I was 8 or so, I regularly had anxiety attacks thinking that I or my loved ones would contract deadly diseases. I also had 'magical thinking' regarding diseases. That's an OCD terminology meaning that I thought I personally was in control of causing/preventing diseases in myself and the people I cared about.

For example, I was afraid that if I didn't pray the "right" way at night, a terrible illness would befall my loved ones. That meant that if my thoughts strayed at all while praying or if something was at all "off" then I had to completely restart. It was very ritualistic and anxiety-inducing for me and still is as an adult. The only difference is that I don't pray anymore so I have different compulsions now.

Stranger danger.
We're always taught as kids not to go with strangers or trust strangers. Honestly, it's a good lesson for life in general. I don't like it at all when people I don't know talk to me. I know that sounds very antisocial, but I just don't trust other people. If I'm in public, say on the train or something, and someone starts talking to me I immediately assume they have insidious intent even though they're maybe just bored. I think I realized that the monsters/aliens/ghosts of my childhood nightmares are actually other humans.

Spiders.
I just really, really don't like them. If I encountered one as a kid, I would scream and cry. Now I just scream. So... improvements!

Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

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